Tray holder



A Nov. 15, 1949 F.IM. GREEN 2,488,010

TRAY HOLDER Filed Sept. 5, 1946 Juventor Gttomeg Patented Nov. 15, 1949 1 A UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE,

Frank M. Green, Andover, Ohio Application September 3, 1946, Serial No. 694,466

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a tray holder and more particularly to a device for temporarily supporting a cafeteria or restaurant serving tray.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a tray holder providing means enabling a tray to be positioned thereon and allowing the hand and arm of the person positioning the tray on the tray holder to be withdrawn from beneath the tray after the tray is firmly positioned on the tray holder.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an inexpensive collapsible tray holder providing four point support for a cafeteria or restaurant serving tray.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a tray holder for restaurant trays, the webbing to sections thereof having U-shaped members integrally formed therewith to provide clearance beneath a tray positioned thereon.

The tray holder shown and described herein has been designed to permit a restaurant or cafeteria serving tray to be carefully and firmly positioned on the supporting tray and at the same time providing adequate room for the hand and arm of the server to be Withdrawn from beneath the tray after it is positioned on the tray holder.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the tray holder.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the tray holder.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a modified form of the tray holder.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a, modified form of the tray holder.

By referrin to the drawings and Figures 1 and 2 in particular, it will be seen that a tray holder in the nature of a portable stand has been illustrated which comprises two crossed and pivoted pairs of legs ill and H, respectively, each of the pairs of legs l and II being pivoted to each other midway between their upper and lowermost ends by means of pivots l2 and [3, respectively. As illustrated in side elevation in Figure 1 of the drawings, the pair of legs It! appears as an X-shape, the lower ends forming ground engaging feet !4, and the upper ends each supportthis pair of pivoted legs ll support the opposite ends of the rods I 6 and H. The rods l6 and I! thereb space the upper portions of the pairs of pivoted legs El and l i and at the same time serve as mounting members for four sections of webbing IS. The ends of each section of the webbing are looped about the rods 56 and I1, respectively, and affixed thereto so that they cannot slide therealong. The inner ends of the sections of webbing l8 are each affixed to a pair of the outermost ends of a pair of U-shaped members l9, one of which overlies the other and which are pivoted together for movement by means of a pivot 26.

The sections of Webbing are clamped or sewed or stapled, as indicated by the numerals 2|, to

the ends of the U-shaped members Hi. It will thus be'observed that a horizontally positioned supporting surface is formed by the four sections of webbing [8 in connection with the two U- shaped members H! with the result that a four point top surface is provided, the center section of which is depressed as in the U-shaped members l9 so that the arm and hand of a person positioning a serving tray on the top of the tray holder can easily and conveniently be removed from beneath the tray without any interference with the supporting means.

Modifications in the specific form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings will occur to those skilled in the art, and one such modification is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings wherein two pairs of crossed and pivoted legs 2i and 22 are employed to form the stand portion of the tray holder and are spaced apart at their uppermost ends by means of rods 23. The rods 23 are connected crosswise with members 24 which have U-shaped depressions 25 located inwardly from the outermost ends of the members 2d. The outermost ends of the members 24 are looped about the rods 23.

It will thus be seen that a simple and efficient tray holder has been devised which provides a convenient and practical stand upon whicha restaurant or cafeteria serving tray may be positioned and which will enable the tray to be completely positioned on the supporting surfaces of the stand before the arm and hand of the person placing the tray on the stand is withdrawn.

Having thus described by invention, What I claim is:

A tray holder comprising a pair of crossed and 3 4 pivoted leg sections, the uppermost ends of the REFERENCES CITED legs of each section being spaced apart by rods, members connecting the said rods together, each member including webbing sections and also a rigid U-shaped section positioned in the said 5 member intermediate the Webbing sections there- The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS of to form an area in the member depressed be- Number N Date low the normal plane of the Webbing sections to 1,333,436 Bur lck Apr. 2'7, 1920 facilitate the Withdrawal of the arm and hand of 1,433,425 Wilson Mar. 25, 1924 a person placing a serving tray on the tray 10 holder.

FRANK M. GREEN. 

